31G 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 23, 187S. 



There are so many contingent circumstances to be considered 

 in Vine-border making and renovation, such as special end in 

 view, money at disposal, site, subsoil, position, rainfall, ttc, 

 that the subject is a large one, and cannot at present be 

 entered on fully. In the meantime Mr. Blackburn's receipt 

 with this supplement is reliable, simple, easy, and useful, and 

 may be adopted without fear of failure, other conditions being 

 rightly carried out. But may I suggest that Mr. Blackburn 

 look again and " make assurance doubly sure " in the matter 

 of complete maturation of the wood :' The Vinos were cut 

 down as late as .June and have large leaves. Wood-ripening 

 is a vital point in good and certain Grape-production, and 

 autumn fire heat is frequently of immense value. My late 

 Hamburgh house is now being treated to a little fire for the first 

 time since last October. It is a practice regularly adopted, 

 and nothing could answer better, a houseful of Grapes being 

 annually produced by a fortnight's firing in October. Some- 

 times, however, we must fire iu winter to keep frost out, but 

 the mildness of last winter did not require it. I am certain 

 a little fire heat now, if the house is heated, could do no harm 

 to Mr. Blackburn's or anyone else's late Vines, and am almost 

 as certain that it would do thom good. Heat with air and 

 without moisture is the prime agent in wood-ripeniug, and this 

 in turn is a prime condition for fruit-producing and perfecting. 



My namesake of Eusholme alluded to Grapes in a wash- 

 house. I enclose you half a dozen berries grown by a journey- 

 man joiner in a glass lean-to covering his back door and also 

 wash-house door, but the steam from the last-named place 

 fostered mildew last year. It was diverted, and this year all 

 is well. The glazed structure faces east with a point south, 

 but is sheltered from the north by buildings. It has no arti- 

 fiuial heat whatever. The border is formed of a load or two 

 of rather light turfy loam mixed in the garden soil and covered 

 with manure each autumn. He is selling his Grapes at '2a. 

 per lb. ; and I am sanguine you will consider them worth the 

 money, and that Grapes can be fairly grown by simple means. 

 — J. Weight. 



WINTER GARDENS AND PAVILION AT 

 SOUTHPORT, LANCASHIRE. 



{From a Correspondent.) 



The progress made with these important works under the 

 direction of Messrs. Maxwell & Tooke has been very consider- 

 able during the past few mouths. Siuce the spring about 

 eight acres of land have been cleared of old buildings, sand 

 hills, and gardens, and the whole almost fenced-in on three 

 sides. The outside work, under the immediate superintendence 

 of Mr. Thomas, is now being fast pushed on, and in a few 

 weeks a large portion will be laid out in lawns, walks, and 

 shrubberies. Temporary greenhouses are being erected, so 

 that the horticultural portions of the building and grounds 

 may be opened with a good display. Mr. Reed has been ap- 

 pointed curator, and has aheady commenced his duties, and 

 hopes before the time of opening is fixed to have a sufficient 

 number of the inhabitants of the deep sea collected together 

 to stock the whole of the tanks in the aquarium. When 

 complete there will be no place of resort either inland or on 

 the coast that can boast of such an undertaking, providing 

 the various sources of enjoyment on anything like the scale 

 that the du-ectors intend to provide here. Nor could we easily 

 find any other place where such an undertaking could be com- 

 menced with any hope of financial success. 



For those of our readers who are not aware of the exact 

 nature of these buildings, we will make an imaginary visit, 

 supposing the place to be complete. Turning from Lord Street 

 under the shade of the old trees now in Mansion House Lane, 

 we see an avenue 80 feet wide, with broad footpaths on each 

 side leading to two handsome lodges at the entrance of the 

 grounds. Having paid our fee we are admitted at once into 

 the grounds, aud find the space iu front of the buildings laid 

 out iu beautiful flower-beds. This portion of the grounds, 

 being sheltered from tho sea breeze, forms a beautiful retreat 

 in stormy weather, and is properly designated the Winter 

 Gardens. In front of us stands a magnificent pile of buildings 

 350 feet long. In the centre is the principal eutrauce-hall and 

 staircase, flanked on each side with spacious cloak-rooms ; 

 behind those are the central promenade with two heights of 

 terraces IfiOfeet long, and flanked on the north by the baud 

 pavilion, a splendid buildiug 80 feet high, aud on the south by 

 a conservatory of equal height. The cloak-rooms and central 

 hall have both fiat roofs coupled with the verandahs out.sido. 



aud forming promenades. Entering the central hall under 'a 

 beautiful carriage porch, we face a splendid staircase 15 feet 

 broad, leading by easy gradients to the central promenade, and 

 on each side of this staircase another 8 feet broad leading 

 down to the aquarium. We take one of these side staircases, 

 aud after descending a few steps we are iu the vestibule of the 

 aquarium, a room some 30 feet by 20 feet. Hearing the splash- 

 ing of water we turn round and see a beautiful little fernery, 

 in the centre of which is playing a diminutive fountain. On 

 each side are the turnstiles in\itiug us to the great hall of the 

 aquarium, a fine room 170 feet long and 30 feet broad, the 

 ceiling of which is supported by thirty massive columns with 

 carved and enriched caps, from which spring the arches and 

 groins of the ceiling ; in the centre of each groin is a cut 

 coloured ring of glass, sending down through the hall a subdued 

 light of yellow, green, and blue tints. On each side of this 

 hall are the fish-tanks, twenty-three iu number, each tank 

 having a large plate-glass front 8 feet long. Passing down to 

 the left we come to another hall 180 feet long and 24 feet 

 broad, running at right angles to the first. In this are a great 

 number of small tauks containing all those minute inhabitants 

 of the sea, both vegetable and animal, that from their size 

 would bo invisible iu the larger tanks. Here also we see 

 small cascades of fresh water triolding and dropping from 

 rock to rock, whilst in every crevice grow specimens of our 

 hardy Ferns, Lycopodiums, Mosses, and Lichens. Passing 

 by this fernery we enter again the great hall of the aquarium, 

 and regain the main staircase, ascending which we find our- 

 selves at once in the central promenade. This portion of the 

 building is by no means the least attractive part of the works, a 

 promenade 33 feet broad and nearly 200 feet long, with a raised 

 platform on each side for loungers, galleries, and verandahs, 

 giving accommodation to hundreds of visitors, and from which 

 can be had most extensive views of the grounds, looking on 

 one side over terraces, lawns, and shi-ubberies, right upon the 

 sea, and commanding views of the Welsh hills on one hand, 

 and the Cumberland hiUs on the other, with the pier and 

 promenade immediately in front, and on the other a com- 

 plete panorama of the town of Southport, with Scarisbrick 

 and Ormskirk in the distance. 



Ascending one of these galleries we take a view of the 

 interior. The centre portion of the ceiling is plastered and 

 divided into panels, with neatly moulded wood framework, 

 whilst the side roofs are of glass. This arrangement secures 

 a more uniform temperature with greater shade than an entire 

 glass roof would, whilst the glass at the sides enables the 

 place to be embellished with large ornamental baskets con- 

 taining flowers and climbers. 



Passing along this gallery to the opposite end of the pro- 

 menade we come to what is termed the reading gallery, a room 

 about 33 feet square, open on two sides, and from which we 

 get a perspective of the entire building ; looking one way wo 

 survey the length of the promenade, aud right across the con- 

 servatory, whilst from the other side we command a perfect 

 view of the band paviUou. From this gallery we pass into 

 another that surrounds the entu'e paviUon, and from which 

 we get an ever-varying view of this magnificent room capable 

 of seating comfortably two thousand people, and always 

 arranged that eight hundred people may sit and Usteu to the 

 music, whilst a stream of promenaders 16 feet broad can pass 

 round both the audience aud orchestra without either incom- 

 moding the performers or the Usteners. On the side near to 

 Coronation Walk we have another lounge some 40 feet by 

 33 feet, with projecting windows commanding all Coronation 

 Walk to Lord Street, aud a considerable portion of the pro- 

 menade. From the windows of the band paviUon, which are 

 large and occupy most of the wall space, we get beautiful 

 views of the grounds. 



Passing now along the central promenade we enter the large 

 conservatory, one of the largest and certainly one of the hand- 

 somest in the country. Here we ramble under the shade of 

 Camellias, Azaleas, Palms, gigantic Ferns, and all manner of 

 magnificent foliage plants, in what appears to be a never- 

 ending path, at one moment shut-up and buried amongst the 

 fragrance and beauty of the vegetable world, and at another 

 obtaining most extensive views of the whole house, embracing 

 trees OO feet high, creeping plants of every description hanging 

 in festoons high above the head, aud beds of flowers of every 

 colour aud form. Nor is the eye the only organ gratified, for 

 here we have the feathered songsters piping out their melodious 

 strains, and holding high carnival. Nor is art forgotten, for 

 hero and there amongst the shrubs stand graceful groups oJ 



